The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 47

Yoon Haul, the top student in the second year of the Divinity Department—or rather, a genius who would comfortably hold the top spot across all grades—stretched lazily, boredom evident in her movements.

Lately, school life has become dull.

Astrology research, studies in destiny, and even the analysis of divine spirits…

It was all monotonous and tedious.

Every day felt like the same repetitive routine.

“Ugh.”

For someone born with her innate talent, the Divinity Department was far too peaceful.

The Magic Department, with its daily thrill-filled events.

The Necromancy Department, which regularly stirred up chaos at Ardel Academy by summoning armies of skeletons.

The Natural Sciences Department, which balanced theory with occasional practical fieldwork, was nothing like the ever-quiet Divinity Department.

Even the students in her department were eerily quiet, almost like they didn’t exist—mysterious, colorless, and odorless.

To blend in with them, she had reluctantly taken on the role of a serious prophet, but now she was growing restless.

‘Pretending to be a prophet, huh?’

That’s not how prophecy should be done.

Even while engaging in a brawl with the Necromancy Department kids in an alley behind Ardel Academy, a prophecy could still come.

—At least, that’s what she muttered to herself, though it didn’t change anything.

The boring, monotonous life of the Divinity Department.

Yoon Haul puffed out her cheeks and complained with frustration.

“Ugh, this really doesn’t suit me. I should’ve gone to the Magic Department!”

As she slumped over in exasperation, she noticed something unusual—students from the Divinity Department were moving about busily.

Could it be that something special was happening for once?

She quickly turned her head to eavesdrop on their conversation.

She might never reach the divine realm, but her senses had already far surpassed the human level.

The voices of the Divinity Department students reached her ears clearly.

“Usher has gone missing.”

“What? Usher?”

“What on earth happened?”

“Do you see anything?”

“No.”

Though the students of the Divinity Department honed their skills in prophecy, few possessed clear foresight abilities.

Astrology and destiny studies, which they repeatedly studied until graduation, meant that many relied on academic analysis to predict the future.

It was more about calculating and analyzing rather than directly seeing future events.

They were all poring over books, trying to foresee Usher’s fate.

One girl cautiously spoke up.

“I just remembered something. Could this be similar to the dormitory disappearance incident from before? I don’t know the details, but the atmosphere feels similar.”

“The Black Mages deliberately kidnapped Usher? But why?”

“He’s unusual, right? Maybe he saw something.”

Yoon Haul closed her eyes.

Unlike the others, who relied on calculations and analysis to foresee the future, she judged everything by intuition.

“…She’s right.”

That girl was correct.

Yoon Haul blinked in surprise.

Usher was one of the few useful talents in the Divinity Department.

A budding genius who predicted the future in a manner similar to her own.

“That clever kid going missing… Something’s definitely up.”

She muttered quietly to herself.

“Yoon Haul.”

Someone called her name.

And if someone sought her out during lunch, there could be only one reason.

She quickly tied a black cloth over her eyes.

* * *

Black hair and pale skin. A sharp nose kept the black cloth from slipping down.

In a world where black hair was nearly nonexistent, her face alone appeared mysterious enough.

On top of that, an even more enigmatic aura surrounded her.

Even her voice added to the effect.

“I knew you’d come.”

Of course, one shouldn’t be swayed by that voice.

“You didn’t know.”

Such a charlatan.

“…!”

The black cloth shifted slightly, indicating she was genuinely surprised.

Not that she would be easily shaken, though.

“Do you doubt me? If so, you can leave.”

Yoon Haul was indeed a main character and a genius prophet.

While Usher was a recognized genius, he never held the same presence as a main character, which spoke volumes about her talent.

She was the only main character from the Divinity Department.

The problem was her lazy, lackadaisical attitude.

Behind that cloth, she was probably thinking, ‘What’s with this guy?’

To avoid being ensnared by her flowery words, I spoke calmly.

“I don’t doubt you. You are destined to become the greatest prophet of Ardel.”

“…”

“I’ve come to hear a prophecy.”

“The price of prophecy is steep. You must offer your life force, magic, and a portion of your predetermined future.

You alone will bear the consequences of that choice. Even so, do you wish to hear it?”

She made it sound grand, but it was just an excuse.

She only said that because she was too lazy to do it.

It was true that prophecy required considerable magic, so she had a reason for acting this way.

But in reality, getting her to prophesy was easy.

Swoosh.

The moment I offered a gold coin, the black cloth shifted again.

She must have sensed it with her intuition.

Yoon Haul subtly lowered the black cloth to check the gold coin before resuming her mysterious act.

Ha, I totally saw that little smirk.

Well, I’ll let it slide for now.

Ahem.

She cleared her throat, and her voice rang out with an ethereal quality.

“…You have paid a sufficient price. What do you wish to know?”

* * *

I formed two questions in my mind.

Any more than that would be beyond what second-year Yoon Haul could handle, so I carefully and meticulously chose the most precise questions.

She was a prophet who conveyed the words and intuition of the gods, not a god herself.

So the answers she provided would be the will of the divine. What would the gods of this world say to me?

The first question, to glimpse that will, was this:

“Am I on the right path?”

When looking at the question alone, it might seem vague, but Yoon Haul would have interpreted it differently.

After the Demon Tree incident, I changed my mind.

And the Phantom Forest Dungeon confirmed my thoughts.

Just like with the Demon Tree, there was no way that a mere monster could have read my past.

The ghost in that dungeon shouldn’t have known about the Korean “Han Siha.”

It defied the natural order.

“Smart Academy” wasn’t originally a story about possession, so there was no mention of possession, nor were there any similar situations in the narrative.

So, it’s impossible to fully understand the author’s intent, but…

Something felt off.

The past being shown to me again…

Was it to help me resolve this situation?

To reduce the meaningless sacrifices in the upcoming bloody war, even just a little?

Could it have been a way of telling me to use the knowledge I had to prevent the tragedy?

—That’s how I interpreted it.

So, I wanted a clear answer.

Was it right for me to go against the natural order and intervene in this world?

Would the world, which would be twisted by my involvement, still follow the direction I hoped for?

The answer was:

“You stand at a crossroads.”

“Yes.”

“You’re hesitating about whether to help that person.”

“…Yes!”

This place is amazing.

Ah, so this is why people come to fortune-tellers.

Han Siha nodded vigorously, focusing intently on Yoon Haul’s words.

“Things have twisted slightly.”

“Hmm?”

“The world is changing rapidly. You may not have intended to interfere, but your existence has become a variable.”

“….”

“You were supposed to die. Yet, you live.”

The chilling voice pierced through Han Siha.

The hint of malice in her voice made Han Siha flinch.

Yoon Haul lifted the black cloth slightly and whispered quietly.

“Pay the price for your life.”

The message was clear enough.

Swallowing dryly, Han Siha moved on to the next question.

Lunch break was nearly over.

If he delayed any longer, the lazy Yoon Haul might change her mind and flee, so he asked the most important question.

“Where is Usher?”

* * *

As soon as Han Siha left, Yoon Haul stretched and removed the black cloth from her eyes.

For the first time in a while, she wasn’t bored.

After seeing so many talents with mediocre abilities, meeting someone like him made her heart race.

There was an inexplicable tension in every word Han Siha had spoken.

She could sense that he was a formidable opponent, both in ability and in spirit.

“Hmm, Han Siha of the Magic Department.”

There wasn’t a second-year student who didn’t know that name.

Until last year, there had been all sorts of nasty rumors about him, but those had recently died down. However, there were no rumors that he was someone this impressive.

‘He’s quite something.’

Yoon Haul closed her mysteriously glowing eyes for a moment before opening them again.

There was something she hadn’t told Han Siha.

When she first tried to read the answer to his question, a phrase echoed in her mind.

—“The outsider from the Magic Department will save the world.”

It was the exact same divine message that Usher had received.

Yoon Haul had intended to ponder this for a while, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Who cares?”

Getting involved in such matters was incredibly bothersome.

A prophet’s role was to offer advice and watch from afar.

Yoon Haul clutched the gold coin she had received from Han Siha with a serious expression.

Right now, this is the most important issue.

A rare and delightful dilemma.

“What should I buy with this?”

Squealing with delight, she dashed off toward Ardel Academy’s canteen.

* * *

The oldest but also the newest place.

“Ah, I’m really no good at puzzles.”

Typical of science majors, I’m not fond of abstract things.

That’s why I’ve been racking my brains since earlier.

Pressing my temples, I tried to decipher Yoon Haul’s prophecy.

Prophecies are always given in such vague terms. I can’t ask her for more details because she wouldn’t know beyond that point anyway.

There’s only 24 hours to solve this. No, now it’s down to 22 hours, so I decided to seek some help.

Won had been just as serious as I was, pondering deeply before suddenly raising his head.

“Could it be Professor Grint’s lab?”

“Why?”

“Professor Grint’s lab is next to Professor Ernst’s lab. I heard that half of it is Professor Grint’s area, and the other half was supposed to be given to Professor Ernst when they expanded the lab recently.”

“And?”

“They don’t get along, right? I heard they only clean up their own areas, leaving the rest for Professor Ernst to deal with once he moves in.”

Wow, that’s petty.

“I even heard they pile up trash on one side. Doesn’t that perfectly match the description of one side being old and the other being brand new?”

It’s a reasonable guess, but I don’t think the prophecy would be that crude.

Seeing my lukewarm reaction, Won sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“But why don’t they get along? I still don’t know the reason. From what the seniors say, it sounds pretty intense.”

Well, that’s not immediately important right now…

“Because of their feud, the entrance is a complete mess. I don’t know when they’ll start construction, but until then, it’s just going to be chaos…”

“Wait.”

What did you just say?

“What?”

The oldest but also the newest place.

A place where the old is torn down, and something new is created.

My mind suddenly cleared up as if a blockage had been removed.

Oh my god.

I shot up from my seat and shouted loudly.

“The construction site!”

“What?”

“Hey, where’s the construction site at our school?”

I’ve found the answer.